Often, doctors and health experts recommend that people who feel they may have been exposed to the HIV virus shouldn't wait to experience symptoms before they contact their doctor. The reason for this is that the signs and symptoms of HIV can change from one person to the next, and in many individuals, so that it's impossible to recognize the underlying infection until years after it was initially contracted. However, for those in search of HIV 1 signs and symptoms as part of their effort to remain informed about what they can expect with HIV, it's worth noting that the infection occurs within three separate – and very different – stages.

The first stage of HIV/AIDS, and the one that we will be covering primarily in this article, is called the acute infection stage. To some doctors and nurses, the stage is known as "seroconversion" and it takes place usually between two and six weeks after the patient in question was exposed to the infection. It is possible to notice HIV 1 signs and symptoms, because it's during this time that the immune system within the body begins to fight back against the infection.

HIV 1 Signs And Symptoms To Watch For

Often, many people regard the symptoms of acute infection in HIV to be very similar to those of a viral illness. Patients who have experienced the first stage of this infection themselves often describe it as a particularly aggressive form of flu. Usually, the HIV 1 signs and symptoms that occur here will last for a couple of weeks, before eventually dying away as the virus enters into a non-symptomatic stage known as clinical latency.

Some of the symptoms you may notice during an acute HIV infection stage may include: diarrhea, headaches, vomiting and nausea, fatigue, sore throat, aching muscles, rashes that don't itch, and a heightened fever.

Know When To Speak To Your Doctor

In fighting back against HIV, the best thing that you can do is recognize the signs early and contact your doctor the moment that you think you may have come into contact with the HIV infection. Today, new innovations in science and medicine mean that doctors can prevent HIV from clinging to the body if they act faster after an infection. After all, many firefighters, police, and health workers that are exposed to infected blood can take anti-HIV drugs as a way of protecting themselves. However, these drugs must be taken within 72 hours of their first exposure.

When you speak to your doctor, chances are that you will be tested for HIV using a series of highly sensitive tests that are designed to detect the HIV antigen and any HIV antibodies that have begun to form within your system. Generally, this test can confirm the onset of a diagnosis within days of the infection taken place. In the situation that HIV is confirmed, you may be prescribed anti-HIV drugs to take for a certain period of time, which could stop you from becoming infected.